Auto Express 1745

CAR companies have bulging order books right now – and it could well take some of them until next spring to clear the backlog. But that’s not stopping some of the oldest and cleverest manufacturers from taking a good, hard look at themselves in preparation for a very different second half of this decade. The result could be a shake-up of how well-known brands are positioned. Only last week, Skoda proposed a new look that ditches its traditional roundel from the fronts of its cars and replaces it with a new, more assertive typeface that plays on the Czech character used in the manufacturer’s name. The goal, we’re told, is to give this 127-year-old company a bit more breathing space compared with SEAT and Volkswagen – and as the CEO…

sean_carson@autovia.co.uk Twin-turbo V8 offers efficiency boost without hurting character Chassis designed to offer dynamics to rival the likes of Cayenne FOLLOWING the recent reinvention of the Range Rover for the electric era, it’s now the turn of the full-fat model’s more dynamic sibling, the Range Rover Sport, to be replaced with an all-new model as part of Jaguar Land Rover’s ‘Reimagine’ plan. In keeping with that ‘Sport’ tag, we’re testing the P530 V8 model here, which is actually as fast as the old SVR but 17 per cent more efficient than its predecessor. Ironically, the source of this new-found ability is one of Land Rover’s rivals, BMW. Its 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 replaces the old supercharged 5.0-litre unit. So has the new Range Rover Sport lost some character in this transition?…

HYUNDAIN VISION 74 EVEN if it weren’t driveable, the Hyundai N Vision 74 could just be one of the most interesting and important new concept cars in years. When unveiled, it virtually melted the Internet, such was the interest shown in this bold, retro-inspired – but also futuristic – street racer-style coupé. Yet it does drive, on a mix of both hydrogen and electricity, and we’ve just had a passenger run in it as Hyundai’s test driver held a huge, tyre-smoking powerslide for what felt like minutes. Now it’s our turn to get behind the wheel. But first, consider just what makes this car so special. Its design takes inspiration from Hyundai’s first-ever homegrown model, the Pony of 1974. The production car was a saloon, but alongside it was the…

THIS aggressive mix of concept and touring car is Hyundai’s RN22e – or Rolling Lab, N, 2022, electric, to give it its full title. It’s Hyundai’s latest high-performance electric test bed, but unlike previous RM concepts, the 22e is much closer to production. A lot of the technology is due to be seen on the Ioniq 5 N, due next year. The E-GMP platform runs with two electric motors; one powering the front wheels, and another the rear. It offers a combined output of 577bhp, backed up by 740Nm of instant pulling power. Much of the technology within has a strong enthusiast-driver focus. There’s a new twin-clutch differential that can send as much as 100 per cent of drive to either individual rear wheel, and that also works with the…

John_McIlroy@autovia.co.uk @johnmcilroy Value-focused model on cards as firm pushes EV cost boundaries Budget baby to undercut VW Group small-car collaboration SKODA is working on an even cheaper electric model that will undercut its own ‘baby EV SUV’, Auto Express can reveal. The brand is already joining Volkswagen and Cupra in developing an all-electric small car. Engineers have been struggling to deliver on the original promise of a vehicle costing around 20,000 Euros (£17,000), and the estimated arrival date has slipped back from the target of 2023 to 2026. Now Skoda’s new boss, Klaus Zellmer, has revealed that his team is trying to work out how to make an EV even cheaper still, in a bid to offer a vehicle at a price range approaching that of the current Fabia. The…

BMW raised eyebrows last autumn with its Concept XM, a preview of how M Division’s first bespoke SUV could look. And judging by images issued by Japan’s patent office, the production car isn’t going to shy away from repeating the concept’s bold stance. The model in the patent application has the same bluff nose, rising waistline and shallow glasshouse as Concept XM. There are a few notable changes, however, with a smaller pair of front grilles flanked by dual-element headlights. It’s difficult to determine from these drawings, but the illuminated grille bezels from the concept car could make an appearance. “With 644bhp, the XM will be the firm’s most potent production car yet” The front bumper does adopt a slightly toned-down interpretation of the show car’s V-shaped outer fins, and…